Nov 12, 2019

Impeachment hearings: House Democrats announce next witnesses

 Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks to reporters following a closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees at the U.S. Capitol on November 4

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The House Intelligence Committee has scheduled eight witnesses for public hearings next week as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced in a news release Tuesday.

The latest: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's top Ukraine expert, and Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the EU, are among those scheduled to appear.

  • Three witnesses requested by the committee's Republican minority are slated to testify: Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine; White House aide Tim Morrison; and State Department official David Hale.

The schedule

Tuesday, Nov. 19:

  • Scheduled for morning hearing:
    • Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence.
    • Vindman, who serves as the director for European Affairs at the National Security Council.
  • Scheduled for afternoon hearing:
    • Volker.
    • Morrison, a White House aide with the National Security Council focusing on Europe and Russia policy.

Wednesday, Nov. 20:

  • Scheduled for morning hearing:
    • Sondland.
  • Scheduled for afternoon hearing:
    • Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs.
    • David Hale, the undersecretary of state for Political Affairs.

Thursday, Nov. 21:

  • Scheduled for morning hearing:
    • Fiona Hill, former National Security Council senior director for Europe and Russia.

Of note: Schiff states in the news release that the Democratic majority had accepted all of their Republican counterparts' "requests that are within the scope of the impeachment inquiry."

Between the lines: The announcement is the clearest sign that the public phase of impeachment will be completed next week, per Axios' Alayna Treene.

Go deeper: Impeachment during a not normal presidency

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